TWILIGHT ZONE: Super-organism
by Dan Bivens
Summary: The time is the far future, where a crew of six streaks along toward the very edge of the universe. What will they find? How will it change them?
1. Chapter 1

A Universonaught, a member of a team of same sent out to explore the very edges of the universe, goes about his daily duties since leaving Earth's solar system some fifty thousand terrestrial years ago. But for those on board the S.S. COSMOS, only a dozen or so years have elapsed.

Colonel Winslow Deed enters the arrow-shaped bridge of a much larger vessel, streaking through space at the equivalent of several thousand times the speed of light.

He addresses himself to his crew of six, in a tone that told the tale of day-after-day of essential boredom since leaving Earth's part of the universe so many ship-years ago...

"Current speed and location, Major Evans," heaved a weary traveler from a time and planet long since evolved into something much grander, or having collapsed into a devolved state of widespread destruction and death for the human race.

Checking over the myriad of holographic instruments encircling his seated position on that self-same arrow-shaped bridge, Major Leland Evans readily responded, with as much weariness as his Colonel, "We are approximately four billion light-years away. Traveling at a constant velocity akin to eleven thousand, five hundred and twenty-two speed-of-light multiples. ETA, until the outermost edge of the universe: approximately two more months, sir."

"Two more months," sighed Colonel Deed to himself, as the consistant state of boredom would continue, unabated, for another sixty ship-days. "I can't wait."

_"The time is the distant future. The place is the far-flung cosmos containing countless star systems within billions of galaxies that have existed for about fourteen billion years, spread out of a near endless sea of starlight seen, from different vantage points on different planets, by any and all intelligent life-forms conscious of this seemingly endless vastness called the cosmos. Colonel Winslow Deed was the commanding officer, for a number of years, of this contingent of officers sworn to carry out this grandest of space-time experiments...the traveling to, and eventually reaching, the outermost edge of what had, until this time, been considered the ultimate in eternity. Little did they know that they were going to uncover a true mystery of mysteries once the passing of two more months winds up with the S.S. COSMOS actually reaching the edge of the universe. Heading straight into...the twilight zone."_

The Universonaught in charge of all things dealing with communication, Lieutenant Asher Brahms, saw fit to relay the facts of said communication between starship and Earth space, as such had stood as fact for numerous years, since leaving Earth space, as well as the Ort cloud of asteroids, planetoids, and comets that existed past the orbital path of Pluto...

"Sending out the latest in a long line of statis reports culminated from the COSMOS' flight from Earth orbit. Now, as before, there is no new transmissions, sent by Earth's center for space-flights, established in the Twenty-Fourth Century, has been beamed back."

"Same as it was yesterday," murmured Colonel Deed, more to himself than anyone else on the bridge. "And the day before that. And the day before that. Month after month after month." Then louder, and directed to his right, "Thank you, Lieutenant. Maintain standard communications, for the standard number of passing days during our super-luminary flight."

"Yes sir, Colonel," came the almost bored voice of communications officer Lieutenant Brahms, as his hands, as did the hands of everyone on the bridge, manipulated the holographic circle of station-situated controls.

Only Colonel Deed, from his centermost seat on said bridge, did not have a holographic circle of station-situated controls.

His eyes strayed back to the strange display playing out on the vast holographic viewscreen, dominating the foreward-most point of the arrow-shaped bridge. Which consisted of a small blue-red tinged point of seemingly compressed space amidst a utterly black-beyond-black field of view.

Such had been the sight seen ever since, after leaving via the Ort cloud encompassing the entire Earth-based solar system, whereupon the special negative energy engines were switched on so that seemingly faster-than-light velocities could be reached and maintained.

Colonel Winslow Deed took a moment to look about at the six Universonaughts accompanying him toward this titanic trek through Space-Time: Aside from Major Leland Evans, at the station wherein the actual flight controls for the S.S. COSMOS were located, and Lieutenant Asher Brahms, seated at a seemingly useless, since reaching a point in known space that was a few billion light-years away from Earth, station of communications, there were four others.

Four more Universonaughts: Lieutenant-Colonel Harland Nevins, the executive officer, or XO, seated at the holographic station for scientific observations and calculations, which came in handy for gleaning details regarding surrounding Space-Time as it pertains to the galaxies past which the S.S. COSMOS streaked; Captain Orlando Rogersmith seated at the holographic station for precise Space-Time navigations; Lieutenant Graham Utanizki seated at the engineering holographic station for keeping up with the constantly strumming negative matter engines, whose output had to maintain a steady stream of such energies to keep the S.S. COSMOS streaking through time and space; Chief Medical Officer, Major Ingrid Battle, in charge of all things medical, when it came to this crew, and the only female in the bunch, and beautiful at that.

Such made up the Universonaught crew that had already outlived generations of humans, on Earth, since those who constructed, in space, the S.S. COSMOS and sent it on its unbelievably distant trek past stars and galaxies. Humans whom had long since died, to be replaced by generation after generation of more humans whom have either evolved into beings of great mental prowess, or fallen into the abysmal pit of death and destruction wrought by their own human hands.

Such seemed insignificant, since the journey through the universe need not include a return-trip back to Earth. For, to do so, would mean either returning to a long-dead planet, or appearing as apes stumbling in from the jungle into cities of light and sheer mentally-motivated Man.


	2. Chapter 2

At approximately three hours of duty aboard the bridge of the S.S. COSMOS, all six of the crew retired to the small, but fully functional, mess hall for something to eat and drink...

"Steak, potatoes, and vegatables," Colonel Deed said as he pressed the button located to his right on the metallic table top. "Medium well. A cold glass of water."

"Soup and spagetti," Lieutenant-Colonel Nevins said, more seriously than was necessary, as he, too, pressed a button to his right. "A tall glass of beer, premium blend."

"Cheeseburger and fries," said Major Evans almost before Lieutenant-Colonel Nevins finished, his own right hand's forefinger pressing the button to his right. "Ice cold cola."

This simple step, in order to request food and drink from an unseen mechanical cook and server, was repeated by Lieutenant Brahms, Captain Rogersmith, Lieutenant Utanizki, and Major, Doctor, Battle...

"You know, Mister Evans," the Chief Medical Officer, as well as the only doctor assigned to the COSMOS, said with a hint of sarcasm, "eating cheeseburgers and fries so much, instead of a more well-balanced meal, is gonna play hell with your bowels."

"Thanks for the advice, Doctor Battle, but I eat what tastes good, not what's good for me. Besides," he added, even as the robotic waiter, and cook, came out with a huge tray of fresh, hot food for the all-too-human crew, "my bowels are doing just fine."

Even as the robot made its way from one Universonaught to the next, serving up the requested cuisine, none of it particularly special, as would be the case in decidedly gourmet meals...

"That may be true for now, Mister Evans, but without vegatables and the like, you are looking forward to some constipation and, probably, cramps in your gut. Don't say I didn't warn you."

In answer to that, Major Leland Evans picked up his piled high cheeseburger and took a bite which, from the look on his face, and the sound he emitted, was clearly delicious. Going for his equally delicious french fries in the next instant, after swallowing the mostly-chewed cheeseburger bite.

Doctor Ingrid Battle shook her head, as she used her fork to slowly shovel meat loaf and vegatables into her expectant mouth, the combination sending equally-delicious sensations through her tongue's taste buds. Washing it all down with a sip of cold white milk.

As everyone continued eating and drinking in silence, Colonel Winslow Deed would be the one to break it...

"You know, gentlemen and lady, with the COSMOS' controls set to automatic for the duration of our meal, it would probably be a good time, after we've eaten, to go to our individual quarters for some sleep. With two months to go, there's no need in us allowing for the possibility of going stale and bored. At least, more bored than we already are."

"If that's an order, Colonel," Lieutenant-Colonel Harland Nevins said with a smile, "it's one with which I'll happily comply."

The others nodded, while continuing to eat and drink, which caused Colonel Deed to say, "Good. Then it's settled: after our dinner, we will all retire to our quarters for relaxation and sleep."

After their dinner, which took approximately seventeen more minutes, after which all ordered a variety of desserts to consume...

"See you all at," began Colonel Deed, as he glanced at his holographic watch, which formed the current ship-time in military hours and minutes, "Eighteen hundred hours. That'll give us all roughly two and a half hours to grab some shut-eye. Pleasant dreams."

"Pleasant dreams," came the response, in unison, from the rest of the Universonaught crew.

Then all entered, through an automatically-opening, then closing, doors, their respective quarters...

Colonel Deed found he wasn't as sleepy as he initially believed. Finding himself in need of simple relaxation instead. He pulled out his electronic holographic book slate, not unlike the e-readers of the early Twenty-First Century, only, now, aside from presenting said book in a holographic manner inches above its screen, was as thin as a single sheet of paper, and scanned over the hundreds of books its multi-Gig memory held in check for him. Selecting one, he settled back in his reclining chair, which reclined automatically to its user's predetermined point-of-relaxation...

It was an ancient science-fiction fare written by Robert A. Heinlein, entitled "Starship Troopers". He had once watched the Twentieth Century's filmed version of that book, but still prefered the book to said film. He knew that, long before he could even reach the halfway point in the holographically-presented book, he would no doubt dose off.

He was dreaming of riding horses on an open range, even though such was no longer available to the average individual back on Earth, which now, tens of thousands of terrestrial years in that planet's history, wouldn't even be a memory for most. If the human race was still alive...

Such was when, intruding upon the fringes of his slumbering consciousness, the red lights and klaxon sounds quickly, and rudely, dragged Colonel Winslow Deed back into the here-and-now aboard the rapidly streaking, at thousands of times the speed of light, S.S. COSMOS.

"What the...?"

Slapping his cheeks in order to help him into a fully awake and alert state, before quickly dashing through the automatically opening and closing door of his quarters.

He wasn't at all surprised to see the rest of his crew of Universonaughts responding to the consistantly flashing red lights, and the equally consistantly blaring klaxon sounds...

"What's happened?" loudly, above said klaxons, asked, more or less rhetorically, Lieutenant Asher Brahms, as everyone ran along the corridor leading from their collection of quarters into, via opening and closing sets of double-doors, the arrowhead-shaped bridge...

"We'll find out in another minute or two, Lieutenant!" shouted, a little louder than was necessary, the Colonel as all were now fully alert, even though all had no doubt fallen to sleep rather swiftly in their respective quarters not long before.


	3. Chapter 3

"Report, all stations!" shouted Colonel Deed, even as he plopped down in the centered command chair.

"Aye, sir," came the almost-in-unison response from the small-but-highly competent crew, even as they activated their holographic controls surrounding their individual seats again.

As far as seeing anything wrong, the red-blue compressed vision of space continued unabated. Whatever was wrong, the S.S. COSMOS was still speeding along at thousands of times the speed of light.

"No communications, Colonel," said, in a forceful and confident voice, Lieutenant Brahms, even though such was expected in regards to another vessel streaking along at the same multiples of the speed of light as the COSMOS.

Captain Rogersmith spoke up with more than a little concern in his voice, "Colonel, our navigational direction is off by several hundred light-years!"

"And our speed is increasing!" came the voice of Major Evans, from the flight controls. "It's almost as if something were dragging us, faster and faster."

"Engineering?" immediately asked Colonel Deed of Lieutenant Utanizki.

Rapidly checking the holographic readouts in the tube of interactive light that surrounded his seated self, Lieutenant Utanizki was quick to respond, in a tone and with an expression of clear-cut fear for their collective lives...

"The negative energy engines are reaching overload capacity, sir. It's almost as if something or someone were adding to that energy in order to vastly increase the engine output that is folding Space-Time around us."

"Science?" asked, a split-second later, Colonel Deed of Lieutenant-Colonel Nevins seated at his holographic science station.

"It's hard to pin down, Colonel," proclaimed, rather loudly, the XO of this small band of Universonaughts.

"Pin it down, man!" roared the order from Colonel Deed.

"I'm trying, sir, but whatever force is acting upon the COSMOS seems beyond my computer's ability to track and analyze. The nearest thing I can compare it to is something living. And it seems to be increasing our speed from eleven thousand speed-of-light multiples to at least a hundred thousand times the speed of light!"

"That would mean," pondered Colonel Deed to himself, as his eyes turned back to the blue-red ball representing condensed Space-Time, "that we'll reach the edge of the known universe in minutes instead of months."

"I verify that, Colonel," Captain Rogersmith comfirmed, quite vocally, even as the impossible set of holographic readouts told him so. "Edge of the universe within range now."

"So do I, Colonel," Major Evans also verified from his own impossible set of holographic readouts in regards to the flight details of the S.S. COSMOS. "At this rapidly building velocity of at least two hundred thousand times the speed of light, we'll reach that point in extra-universal space in less than five minutes!"

Five minutes...instead of two months. Hardly enough time to properly operate the holographic controls, much less prepare one's Self mentally and emotionally...

"Increase the shielding around the ship, Mister Utanizki. At this space-equivolant velocity, the very solidity of the ship will start to break apart."

"Aye, sir."

"Colonel Deed," exclaimed Lieutenant Brahms from the holographic tube controls dealing with communications. An area having no relative readouts since first leaving, via the Ort cloud, Earth's solar system. "I'm getting something on one of the sub-sonic channels. It's not quite communication as we know it, but it is active and seems to increase along with our speed."

Before any response could come from Colonel Deed, everyone was suddenly pinned to their seats, even as, in regards to those seated within holographic tubes, their readouts continued to increase in output and detail...

"Hang on!" shouted Lieutenant-Colonel Nevins from his scientific holographic tube, even though he could no longer lift his arms in order to fine-tune the readings. "Whatever's doing this is about to...!"

Before he could finish his statement, the rapidly speeding vessel stopped cold at what was, indeed, the edge of the known universe. Something that could be easily descerned by the holographic viewscreen now filled with images, instead of the ball of blue-red that had been displayed within an ocean of black for the years already spent streaking along at speed-of-light multiples.

"What the hell...?" exclaimed Colonel Deed.

Such was equally expressed, non verbally, by all the other Universonaughts, as they swiveled toward the visual dominating that same viewscreen.

Their individual holographic tubes no longer displaying rapidly changing readouts...save for two.

"Colonel!" loudly, much more loudly than before, exclaimed Lieutenant-Colonel Nevins, as his own holographic readouts settled down into something readable. "I'm getting something here. Something big and alive! It's the universe itself, sir. It's an actual living entity!"

A fact that was somewhat supported by the holographic viewscreen imaging: the universe as a whole, seen from its very edge, in a position almost outside it all, was undulating and seemingly moving. Almost as if it were "breathing", with a "heart" seemingly pumping energy about as if it were blood.

"My God..."

Even as Colonel Deed breathed that almost silent two-word statement, rising from his center seat to step closer, between flight and navigations holographic tubes, and get a better look at what had not been seriously considered by those scientists and physicists that sent these Universonaughts on their one-way trip. At least a dozen or so years, ship-time, earlier.

And as for communications...

Lieutenant Brahms gasped, "Sir! The sub-sonic band of communications activity I was receiving...it was the universe 'thinking' to us!"

_"The S.S. COSMOS crew have reached the very boundary of the known universe. Reaching a point whereby the ordinary met the extraordinary. A point in space and time we call...the twilight zone."_


End file.
